Although teams have been able to pass against New England, that stat should be overlooked. The defense will give up yards through the air at times, but will also take the ball away. The patriot defensive players are always looking to strip the ball, force fumbles, get interceptions and etc, whatever they can do to cause turnovers. Examples are plays such as Sterling Moore knocking the ball away from Demeryius Thomas the first play against Denver, like he did on Lee Evans in the AFC Championship game last year. Another are the two forced fumbles that Rob Ninkovich cause while sacking Peyton Manning for one play, then stripping McGahee on another late in the game. Brandon Spikes is also pretty crafty at this two whenever the opportunity presents. And Vince Wilfork, is becoming legendary, making at least two huge game changing plays during the course of a game. They are very tough against the run with those huge defensive linemen and linebackers and stingy against the pass, even while giving up yards. The opposing offense will have to stay clear of sacks that are often stripped for fumbles while playing New England, ball security during run plays and disguised coverages while attempting to pass downfield. Also note that New England shutout Peyton Manning for almost the entire game without standout rookie Dont'a Hightower, and starting safety Steve Gregory who has been solid.

I appreciate that you New England fans actually want to talk about football. Its refreshing.

I dont think anybody here expects this week to be an easy task on either side of the ball. New England's definatly a good team. Playing at home though in front of the 12th man does something magical for our team, so many of us are expecting a win in a tough, hard fought game.

iigakusei wrote:How is Chandler Jones doing? From the few times I have watched the Pats he looked great.

Originally most of us thought Chandler was going to be a raw project when we drafted him. Then he looked amazing in the preseason. And then, he continued to look amazing in the regular season as a starter which is pretty astounding. I think his performance has been diminished by the few weeks we had the inept replacement officials because Oher was allowed to hold him all game including full on chokeholds that went uncalled. I only wish Ninkovich could get equivalent pressure from the other side but that's not happening.

Our front 7 is very very good. Our run defense is stout but then again so was the 49ers last year and Lynch still ran through their line and instantly atomized 4 of their linemen for a TD. Our defensive backfield is laughable. Mccourty goes from good to a PI machine in a matter of plays. Arrington is average. The safeties Chung and and Gregory are average though Chung is a liability in coverage. In the Denver game, one of our best looking CBs was actually 7th round draft pick Alfonzo Dennard, whose stock plummeted because he slapped a cop at a club prior to the draft. Dennard actually did something it seems our secondary is coached not to do- LOOK FOR THE #$%^@#%$ BALL WHILE YOU'RE COVERING THE RECEIVER. Sorry, its frustrating.

Who knows who wins this one. The Pats are notorious for losing at least one 'wtf' game every season but I'm hoping we've already gotten that out of the way with the heavily referee assisted Cardinals loss. All I know is I want you guys to roflstomp the 49ers for the division since I have an annoying bandwagoner 49er friend.

Modest wrote:Who knows who wins this one. The Pats are notorious for losing at least one 'wtf' game every season but I'm hoping we've already gotten that out of the way with the heavily referee assisted Cardinals loss. All I know is I want you guys to roflstomp the 49ers for the division since I have an annoying bandwagoner 49er friend.

If the Patriots consider the trip to Seattle to be a "WTF" type of game on their schedule, then they've already lost. The Seahawks almost always look like World Champions at home. The road, not-so-much. The 12th Man is a real deal up here that is hard to quantify. If the opponents don't respect it coming in, they sure as heck do when they leave.

It should be a great game and a true test for our #1 defense versus the #1 offense. Looking forward to it.

"Shaquem Griffin tells ESPN after he got drafted by Seattle; 'I can't breathe.' That's the only time you'll hear him say he can't do something." - Dan Wetzel via Twitter.

I'm going to say this again for all of the Pats fans coming in to talk football and who I must say have been fairly cool for the most part so far:

If you haven't seen this Seattle Defense for a full game yet, you're going to shit your pants on Sunday. I say this without so much as a scintilla of hyperbole. You will soil yourselves. this Defense is that good, and have been consistently this good in every game so far this year.

peachesenregalia wrote:I'm going to say this again for all of the Pats fans coming in to talk football and who I must say have been fairly cool for the most part so far:

If you haven't seen this Seattle Defense for a full game yet, you're going to shit your pants on Sunday. I say this without so much as a scintilla of hyperbole. You will soil yourselves. this Defense is that good, and have been consistently this good in every game so far this year.

Sssssshhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Keep it a surprise! People love surprises.

"Shaquem Griffin tells ESPN after he got drafted by Seattle; 'I can't breathe.' That's the only time you'll hear him say he can't do something." - Dan Wetzel via Twitter.

One week were talking about benching the QB and firing the OC, and the HC down the line if he doesn't figure it out, etc.

Then the next, it's practically a lock that the Seahawks are going to beat the Pats.

Back on topic:

The Patriots defense scares me, and has always scared me for the very reason stated in the subject of this thread. As far as the Pats go, you can basically throw the stats out the window. Last against the pass, blah blah blah. None of that will matter if BB can scheme, and figure out how to take advantage of Wilson. That's what makes him the best (I hate him). And even if guys like McCourtney and IMO, especially Chung give up some yards, they always seem to make plays. And Wilfork, jeebus. I can't lie, this game scares me. It's totally winnable, but we'll have to play a great game to do it.

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Ahhh, Pats fans fearing for the safety of Tom Brady.. now that's a beautiful thing. Nothing could be better than watching Brady have an "Aaron Rodgers" day this coming Sunday. Except for a W of course. How bout we do both?!

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Get your depends ready, my friend.

LOL I am not afraid, get your hankies ready... because if Our oline is healthy I see a 30 spot being dropped on the Hawks. (just a little fun smack talk but I could see them doing that Pats O is that good.)

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Ahhh, Pats fans fearing for the safety of Tom Brady.. now that's a beautiful thing. Nothing could be better than watching Brady have an "Aaron Rodgers" day this coming Sunday. Except for a W of course. How bout we do both?!

More likely see a NORMAL Tom Brady day 24 of 30 for 300 yards 3 TD but I only fear for him IF our oline is down...

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Get your depends ready, my friend.

LOL I am not afraid, get your hankies ready... because if Our oline is healthy I see a 30 spot being dropped on the Hawks. (just a little fun smack talk but I could see them doing that Pats O is that good.)

The Patriots' offense is the best in the league. No-one disputes that. But we feel like this Seahawks defense is the best in the league also. This is a chess match between Belichek and Carrol. I think the most scary thing for the Pats, is that the Seahawks have been causing offenses so much havoc from their BASE DEFENSIVE SET most of the time. Look out if we decide to start mixing things up.

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Get your depends ready, my friend.

LOL I am not afraid, get your hankies ready... because if Our oline is healthy I see a 30 spot being dropped on the Hawks. (just a little fun smack talk but I could see them doing that Pats O is that good.)

If your offense can put up 30 points on our D, the Pats will likely win this game. By half time, however, I think you will be happy if they can put up 20-25 points.

I really wish some of you could experience the Clink for yourselves. You would be awestruck.

I agree either team could win this game, I think Seatle needs it more to stay on pace with the Cards and 49ers and the Pats worse case is being tied for first with 5 division games to go.

What scares any HONEST pats fan about this game is the health of Volmer and Mankins on our O line if they are healthy and play I am VERY confident if they cant I am worried for Brady's safety. (Not easy for ANY team replace 2 oline starters never mind a PRO BOWL starter and a very good oneas well in Volmer)

Ahhh, Pats fans fearing for the safety of Tom Brady.. now that's a beautiful thing. Nothing could be better than watching Brady have an "Aaron Rodgers" day this coming Sunday. Except for a W of course. How bout we do both?!

More likely see a NORMAL Tom Brady day 24 of 30 for 300 yards 3 TD but I only fear for him IF our oline is down...

Oh I'm sure Brady will get his. He'll also do his NORMAL complaining to the refs whenever a Seahawk so much looks at him funny. You best believe that guys like Browner and Clemons are licking their chops. This defense plays with a TON of confidence. About the same level of confidence the Patriots offense operates with. They will not second guess themselves or have any fear. I wonder if you'll be able to say the same about your skill players and Mr. Brady after Kam Chancellor plants em in to the CLink turf a few times. Alligator arms? The "Witten's" if you will?

LOL I am not afraid, get your hankies ready... because if Our oline is healthy I see a 30 spot being dropped on the Hawks. (just a little fun smack talk but I could see them doing that Pats O is that good.)[/quote]

If your offense can put up 30 points on our D, the Pats will likely win this game. By half time, however, I think you will be happy if they can put up 20-25 points.

I really wish some of you could experience the Clink for yourselves. You would be awestruck.[/quote]

I am basing this off history, ONLY the Ravens past D (The BEST in the league for what 10 years?) kept the Pats under 30 and even then was mid 20's most of the time. IMO your O will need score a min of 24 points to win. I could be wrong, have been before (i am use to it I am married lol)

~~sigh~~ Yes because the seahawks front 4 are scarier than Suggs and the Ravens front 4 from years past or your LBers scarier thanRay Lewis and your safeties and cb scarier than Reed and Co.. Sigh... Brady will get sacked but he will also put points on the Board. the Hawks O needs score roughly 24 points to win MINIMUM.

I'm confident in the TEAM'S ability to score 24 points. Whether it be straight offense, defensive TD's, special team's TD's.. 24 is a very attainable number.

And yes, our DB's are best in the league. I think as good as Reed and co. even though he's a safety, but I see what you mean. I'll definitely take this secondary over any other secondary in the league right now though. This is a violent bunch. I'm already preparing myself for the 10 inevitable personal fouls they'll draw for hitting your boy Brady too hard.

To get back to the point of this thread. Part of the reason why the Patriots defense can be so opportunistic is because a large portion of the time teams are playing from behind, trying to play catch up. That leads to more recklessness with the football and eventually, more turnovers. I think it's a decent defense, possibly in the upper half of the league, but it certainly has it's flaws and limitations.

~~sigh~~ Yes because the seahawks front 4 are scarier than Suggs and the Ravens front 4 from years past or your LBers scarier thanRay Lewis and your safeties and cb scarier than Reed and Co.. Sigh... Brady will get sacked but he will also put points on the Board. the Hawks O needs score roughly 24 points to win MINIMUM.

no matter who wins or loses....this being a game against one of the NFL media darlings in the Pats....you and anyone else who had similar thoughts to this or basically just brushing aside this Hawks defense due to various factors such as unfamiliarity/comparison to KNOWN big names from other teams/just plain ignorance are going to be on notice for the rest of the year for what this defense truly brings to the table and the fire and intensity with which they are going to lay into opposing offenses all season long...and hopefully many more to come.

~~sigh~~ Yes because the seahawks front 4 are scarier than Suggs and the Ravens front 4 from years past or your LBers scarier thanRay Lewis and your safeties and cb scarier than Reed and Co.. Sigh... Brady will get sacked but he will also put points on the Board. the Hawks O needs score roughly 24 points to win MINIMUM.

no matter who wins or loses....this being a game against one of the NFL media darlings in the Pats....you and anyone else who had similar thoughts to this or basically just brushing aside this Hawks defense due to various factors such as unfamiliarity/comparison to KNOWN big names from other teams/just plain ignorance are going to be on notice for the rest of the year for what this defense truly brings to the table and the fire and intensity with which they are going to lay into opposing offenses all season long...and hopefully many more to come.

Well said. Not to mention the fire and intensity that the 12th Man are going to bring to the table. It'll be unlike anything the Patriots have seen or will see this year, you can count on that.

Also niveky, you've got the greatest avator EVER! I love that thing, hilarious!

My post you quoted should have said (In their Primes WHEN bRADY & cO. WERE FACING THEM.) MY point was simple your D is NOT scarier than the ELITE D of Baltimore in the 2000's may be equal (we will see) but not scarier.

The seahawk fans may get to see an offensive showing they have never seen before as well and one that will continue for a few more years still...

My post you quoted should have said (In their Primes WHEN bRADY & cO. WERE FACING THEM.) MY point was simple your D is NOT scarier than the ELITE D of Baltimore in the 2000's may be equal (we will see) but not scarier.

The seahawk fans may get to see an offensive showing they have never seen before as well and one that will continue for a few more years still...

And one you have NOT seen before or probably again this year!

You are grossly underestimating the effect of the 12th man on opposing offenses. but that's ok, you just don't know about it yet. You will come Sunday evening.

~~sigh~~ Yes because the seahawks front 4 are scarier than Suggs and the Ravens front 4 from years past or your LBers scarier thanRay Lewis and your safeties and cb scarier than Reed and Co.. Sigh... Brady will get sacked but he will also put points on the Board. the Hawks O needs score roughly 24 points to win MINIMUM.

no matter who wins or loses....this being a game against one of the NFL media darlings in the Pats....you and anyone else who had similar thoughts to this or basically just brushing aside this Hawks defense due to various factors such as unfamiliarity/comparison to KNOWN big names from other teams/just plain ignorance are going to be on notice for the rest of the year for what this defense truly brings to the table and the fire and intensity with which they are going to lay into opposing offenses all season long...and hopefully many more to come.

Well said. Not to mention the fire and intensity that the 12th Man are going to bring to the table. It'll be unlike anything the Patriots have seen or will see this year, you can count on that.

Also niveky, you've got the greatest avator EVER! I love that thing, hilarious!

I can't wait...very nervous obout this game but when you have an elite defense and good special teams that can be a nice equalizer. also when there is an offense that is slowly coming along like this and you see some great signs of progress like last week....even though i'm as nervous as anyone about the offense laying an egg...i'm also optimistic that the coaching staff is going to put Wilson in position to really succeed this week as they open up more of the offense for him.

I expect the 12th man be a factor as long as the game is within 7 points if the Pats get up by 14.. I am guessing like most fans you get quiet... But we will see IF Brady gets protected well it could be a very long day for the Hawks.

See, I live on the East Coast, PatsFanNH. New Hampshire is a beautiful place and extremely underrated by the way, unlike any part of your team.

Some of my friends are annoying Patriots fans so, unlike most Patriots fans that probably haven't watched a single minute of Seahawks football outside of the Golden Tate play, I'm forced to watch the Pats on a weekly basis. I saw you guys thrash the Bills in the second half, I saw the hurting you put on Denver.

The reverse side of the equation is that I've seen you guys lose to the Jets, at home, in the playoffs. A team led by Mark Sanchez. And I've also seen you guys lose to the Arizona Cardinals, this year. I'd chill out with the air of invinsibility talk haha

My post you quoted should have said (In their Primes WHEN bRADY & cO. WERE FACING THEM.) MY point was simple your D is NOT scarier than the ELITE D of Baltimore in the 2000's may be equal (we will see) but not scarier.

The seahawk fans may get to see an offensive showing they have never seen before as well and one that will continue for a few more years still...

And one you have NOT seen before or probably again this year!

Well, despite the Patriots newly evolving wrinkle this season and actually running the ball down teams throats when they go after the passing attack working on other defenses...it may not work quite so well on this Seahawks defense. As many have posted on other threads...the Hawks D has had a lot of its success running out of its base package. With the large/physical and athletic corners in the backfield..the rangy lb's with a great combination of speed and power...a very dominant front 4 of their own...not even mentioning the excellent subs they have coming in and wreaking havoc as well, and also the general manuevering of d-linemen in different positions. The front 7 and the back end of this defense are all playing very, very well. I have heard that speed off the edge has been a bit of a problem for the Patriots or one weakness that hasn't been properly tested to this point...the Hawks D has speed of the edge in spades..not to mention big bodies on the interior that can push some bodies around. As far as this new found running attack....they are getting teams without the necessary personel to defend the run in base and/or nickel packages. Our base defense features d-linemen that are very good at plugging up holes in the run and if teams go pass on this base defense the lb's and corners are still usually able to be physical enough to disrupt the flow of offenses. As for the TE play of NE..the secondary has the size and closing ability that most other teams don't have at all positions back there to even disrupt that portion of the NE passing attack as well. This game is going to be a real chess match.

NYCoug wrote:Oh I'm sure Brady will get his. He'll also do his NORMAL complaining to the refs whenever a Seahawk so much looks at him funny. You best believe that guys like Browner and Clemons are licking their chops. This defense plays with a TON of confidence. About the same level of confidence the Patriots offense operates with. They will not second guess themselves or have any fear. I wonder if you'll be able to say the same about your skill players and Mr. Brady after Kam Chancellor plants em in to the CLink turf a few times. Alligator arms? The "Witten's" if you will?

Would be nice if we could get a nice "Where's your skirt" chant going every time opposing QB's do that.

EDGE rushers USUALLY dont bother Brady he just steps up in the pocket buys another second and boom... Now up the middle Pressure like any QB is hard for him to handle esp since he isnt a scrambling QB.

Now as for the Loss to AZ, ANYONE hanging their hat on that game is crazy, as the Pats played as POORLY as they could have on O and still almost pulled out a W. (and should have if McDaniels had decided RUN the ball closer dang FG kicker

PatsFanNH wrote:EDGE rushers USUALLY dont bother Brady he just steps up in the pocket buys another second and boom... Now up the middle Pressure like any QB is hard for him to handle esp since he isnt a scrambling QB.

Now as for the Loss to AZ, ANYONE hanging their hat on that game is crazy, as the Pats played as POORLY as they could have on O and still almost pulled out a W. (and should have if McDaniels had decided RUN the ball closer dang FG kicker

The Hawks D-tackles are pretty good about getting inside push. Mebane has always been very disruptive but has had noone on the opposite side to help him push through. With Branch and Jones in there they have been collapsing things pretty well from the inside....if the Pats are unable to keep this from happening Brady isn't going to have much of anywhere to go when those edge rushers come in.

IMO key to the game is give Brady no more than 3-4 seconds to deliver the ball even that may be to much time... I expect a lot of shotgun quick hits over the middle to Welker,Gronk and hernandez. To disrupt your pass rush with an occasional draw up the middle.

I expect the 12th man be a factor as long as the game is within 7 points if the Pats get up by 14.. I am guessing like most fans you get quiet... But we will see IF Brady gets protected well it could be a very long day for the Hawks.

IMO key to the game is give Brady no more than 3-4 seconds to deliver the ball even that may be to much time... I expect a lot of shotgun quick hits over the middle to Welker,Gronk and hernandez. To disrupt your pass rush with an occasional draw up the middle.

another part of the chess match because even in shot gun..the Hawks corners are very good at press and if they can be their normal, disruptive selves right at the line of scrimmage that may not be enough time to get it to anyone and if that happens then they may be able to dink and dunk a bit and barely avoid pressure...another thing to consider is that this Hawks d has been very good at just flat out swatting balls or getting hands on balls when they are thrown all year long so far. If that trend continues...coupled with how well the hawks use press coverage and how well the db's are able to disrupt the timing of the Pats passing game....it could still be a long game if they try that route....

I am really excited for this game because there is going to be so much back and forth strategizing, especially in this aspect of the game..the hawks d vs the pats o...i am really sad that i'll only be able to catch bits and pieces on siriusxm while at work sunday...i am pretty confident that it will be an nfl replay worthy game so thank god for dvr's if it is.

I apology I dont know the seahawks all that well in your BASE D wouldnt a LBer be covering Gronk and hernandez? Also who would line up on welker, I have heard HERE that short 5-10 yrd passes over the middle your weakness...and well thats Welkers sweet spot and even Revis has NEVER fully shut him down (5 for 57 yrds 1 TD was the worst against revis)

We will see my friend should be fun the best O vs the Best D... Toughest test for BOTH so far this yr by a long shot...

No doubt, but I'm talking about your comment on the 12th man. They don't quiet down. If this game is a pick'em on paper, then the 12th man gives the Seahawks a slight edge. It's the most unquantifyable advantage in sports, but I'll be damned if I haven't seen the crowd WILL this team to victory before. Can they lose at home? Of course. Any team can. I just don't want you to make the mistake of thinking that this is a normal crowd that can be taken out of the game with a few early scores.

I expect the 12th man be a factor as long as the game is within 7 points if the Pats get up by 14.. I am guessing like most fans you get quiet... But we will see IF Brady gets protected well it could be a very long day for the Hawks.

INCORRECT.

yeah, you beat me to it. Fans who've never been here don't understand. I can count on one hand the times I've heard it quiet in the Clink and you have to consider all the bad teams we've put on the field and STILL they keep roaring. If the Pats get up by 24+, THEN the crowd might quiet down...until the Hawks score and then the fans will sense a comeback and get all fired up again. Heck, even a good punt return by Leon and we'll get all fired up again.

People just don't understand how loud it gets and how important to the whole experience of going to a Seahawks game the act of screaming when the opposing team comes to the line is to us. I DVR'd the Packers game. The noise coming over the TV set was incredible. Last week, listening to other games all weekend, I was struck by how quiet it was by comparison. Even when the home team fans were screaming their heads off, it was so muted on the TV. Not in Seattle. It ROARS. I've heard the noise from Bellevue. That's pretty amazing. That's nowhere near the stadium on the other side of Lake Washington with hills between them and the stadium.

Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

I apology I dont know the seahawks all that well in your BASE D wouldnt a LBer be covering Gronk and hernandez? Also who would line up on welker, I have heard HERE that short 5-10 yrd passes over the middle your weakness...and well thats Welkers sweet spot and even Revis has NEVER fully shut him down (5 for 57 yrds 1 TD was the worst against revis)

Even if an LB is on the TE, this d has a knack for swarming to wherever the ball ends up and limiting big plays. Earl Thomas has outstanding range and even though he is a rookie, Wagner has shown to be able to close quickly in space AND make the tackle he needs to. I believe that he has 4.4 speed and it does translate in game. I think that Wright is the other Nickel LB and he has been playing very well even as a rookie last year. The Pats will probably catch Wagner out of position a bit, but maybe not....but he definately has the closing speed to make sure it doesn't result in a total breakdown in most cases.

In all of my posts I am not implying that The Hawks are just going to wipe the floor with the pats, or that they will completely dominate the pats o....if that were to happen though, I would only be mildly surprised though. I admit that it is a tall order and while the Hawks may have a bit of a weakness against the short passing game, the run game that the pats have found i am pretty confident will be squelched on sunday. I really feel that the Hawks d does have the ability to force the pats to be one dimensional and against about any other team I would have little doubt about the end result of being able to do that. Tom Brady will be the ultimate x factor for the pats this sunday. If he is able to get in a rythme(and I don't think big plays will be there very much) he could do just enough to get the Pats the win. The big X-factor for the Hawks will be the Offense. If Russell Wilson progresses beyond what he did last week I believe that the Hawks can actually win handily. If he plays as well as he did last week I feel the hawks can squeak out a win...if he plays like he did earlier in the season I will be wanting to pull my hair out all afternoon most likely but still not give out hope until the very end because I still feel like it could be close. I don't think that the Pats will be able to contain Lynch. If they focus on the run game they may stifle it in spots but there will still be some runs that beastmode will find a way to punish the Pats D. If the hawks get their run game going well. All of us hawks fans may not really care that there is nothing to talk about with Wilson's performance(and by this I also mean not having any mistakes that will be ridden to death on here) if that happens.

I am really sad I will not be able to catch this game.......I hope it is a great game with no major injuries on either side and may the best team win(the hawks ).

One thing to note about the Pats D is it is pretty dang good against the Run, And after facing Flacco and Manning , I personally don't see Wilson lighting the Secondary up. One because your O be run run and run some more... I do expect see a few fumbles though and perhaps an INT or two.. Pats been scary good at this so far this year.

As for your D, if BRADY is the X factor, thats a rather dangerous X Factor. I mean a 1st ballot HOFer is the guy you hope doesnt beat you? I think the TRUE X Factor be the Pats O line v Hawks D line. Brady gets some time Pats win, if Hawks have constant pressure a much closer game and perhaps a pats loss.

Bill's specialty is taking away the offense's best weapon. For us, that is Marshawn. However, that has been the strategy for all 5 teams that have played the Hawks, and none of them have taken him out of the game plan completely.

It's almost a rule, we do not win games where we give up more than 19 points. Now, to New England fans, that sounds like an easy number. Seeing as we have given precisely ZERO touchdowns in our last two road games, I reasonably confident we can do a respectable job of limiting that offense here at home where our defense rages.

Now look at the OFFENSE you faced the last three in order were 21st,29th,21st. AND you have not faced one better than 16th and pleasse thats a ROMO led team that guys a sanchez clone.

As for no team has done that yet to Lynch, I heard the same about Spiller from Bills fans ("the top running back in the league".. "has more yards per carry than anyone else" yada yada.) Fact is this is a QB league now and to constantly win you need your QB to step up.. question is will Wilson step up on Sunday when Lynch is limited to open things up for your RB?

PatsFanNH wrote:One thing to note about the Pats D is it is pretty dang good against the Run, And after facing Flacco and Manning , I personally don't see Wilson lighting the Secondary up. One because your O be run run and run some more... I do expect see a few fumbles though and perhaps an INT or two.. Pats been scary good at this so far this year.

As for your D, if BRADY is the X factor, thats a rather dangerous X Factor. I mean a 1st ballot HOFer is the guy you hope doesnt beat you? I think the TRUE X Factor be the Pats O line v Hawks D line. Brady gets some time Pats win, if Hawks have constant pressure a much closer game and perhaps a pats loss.

You summed up the game plan. Think Giants pass rush. I also expect our corners to play a lot of man press, and our 3 safety sets to try and bracket Gronk/Welker.

I half wonder if we will see much from Gronk anyway, we have more length in our linebackers and secondary than you have ever seen. In our Bandit set we could feature one linebacker and up to 4 secondary players 6'3" or taller.

PatsFanNH wrote:One thing to note about the Pats D is it is pretty dang good against the Run, And after facing Flacco and Manning , I personally don't see Wilson lighting the Secondary up. One because your O be run run and run some more... I do expect see a few fumbles though and perhaps an INT or two.. Pats been scary good at this so far this year.

As for your D, if BRADY is the X factor, thats a rather dangerous X Factor. I mean a 1st ballot HOFer is the guy you hope doesnt beat you? I think the TRUE X Factor be the Pats O line v Hawks D line. Brady gets some time Pats win, if Hawks have constant pressure a much closer game and perhaps a pats loss.

The reason I didn't put the O-line is because whether or not the o-line plays well or badly, Brady will be where the play has the final chance to succeed. Brady has had an awesome career and continues to play well for the most part, but when he is faced with a truly great defense..it has been shown that his offenses can be contained enough for the other team to get the win. If the pressure from the Hawks D gets to Brady I feel confident that the Hawks are going to come out of a hard fought game the victors..but even with pressure and even with bad o-line play. Brady, being one of the greats could still get his passes through in the narrowest of windows and find a way to get those completions even if the d is playing lights out..if this happens and he gets enough of them going..that is going to get that pendulum swinging in the Pats favor.

Yea this game is going to come down to how much pressure and disruption we can get on Brady. We are stout v the run, great out wide, on Sunday we will have challnges to our backers in coverage on welker, gronk and possibly Hernandez. We cant be playing soft zones here and giving one of the best QB's ever time to pick a pass as he will pick us apart.

Brady and Bellacheck have seen and done it all, and been to every ground in the league and done the business, and I dont think the CLink will phase them to be honest. It culd have an impact in charging up our players though, and some issues for the pats with hearing calls and audibles as it does for most teams.

All in all it will be a tall task for the hawks v this offence, but we definitley have one of the best d's to be able to do this

As for the ratings on the offences, id suggest the packers, cowboys and Panthers, regardless of current rankings, all have very explosive and dangerous offences and we done excellent v them all. The packers offence is quite similar to the pats and they also hve a brady clone in rodgers. My worry is the adjustments made by the pack 2nd half allowed them to dink and dunk all the way up the field, I forsee the pats doing this for large chunks of the game, thats if we dont get pressure up the middle to disrupt it....A real chess match on the cards

PLEASE PLEASE Show that Bandit set.. I have seen more teams try THAT tactic to stop the Pats on O. so them do it in DENVER,BUFFALO, TITANS,and Ravens.. and the Pats ran all over them a secondary guy does not like being hit by a TE and the Pats have very good bloacking WR.. That set is golden for 10-15 yard runs almost every time!